Getty The former Green Bay Packers cornerback admitted that he regrets playing in the NFL.
The Green Bay Packers have had some stars on both sides of the ball over the years. Sadly, one of those young and promising stars who had his career end prematurely opened up about his struggles with playing in the National Football League.
Speaking with Dan Le Batard on his podcast, former Packers cornerback Sam Shields opened up about his NFL career and how it ended early due to his long stretch of concussions When asked by Le Batard if he would have played in the league all over again if given the chance, Shields gave an honest answer.
#SouthBeachSessions Before the concussions started, Sam Shields was one of the fastest cover cornerbacks in football. He spent nearly a decade in the NFL…
He wishes he hadn’t.
“No,” Shields told Le Batard. “I’d be going to school, trying to work for home improvement. I’d be trying to learn how to build a house…I went through it man. I felt like there was no support at times.”
You can listen to the entire interview on Le Batard’s podcast, South Beach Sessions.
Sam Shields’ Football Career
Young Packers fans may not remember Shields, but he was a crucial part of a defense that helped bring Green Bay its only Super Bowl title in the Aaron Rodgers era.
Coming out of high school in Sarasota, Florida, Shields was originally a wide receiver. He was a 4-star recruit at the position with offers to go to Louisville, LSU, and Pittsburgh, but he decided to stay in his home state to play for the Miami Hurricanes.
After serving as a wide receiver and special teams gunner for his first three seasons, Shields made the switch to cornerback as a senior at Miami. While he began to get comfortable at the position, the switch made him an unknown commodity at the pro level, leaving him as an undrafted free agent after the 2010 NFL Draft.
The Packers ultimately signed Shields as a UDFA, and the move paid off in a big way. He was a key contributor to Green Bay’s secondary as a rookie, helping the Packers win their first Super Bowl title in years. He played seven seasons for the franchise, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2014.
Unfortunately, concussions hurt Shields throughout his career. After suffering his fourth documented concussion in Week 1 of 2016, Shields missed the remainder of the season, and was released by the team at the end of the year.
Shields made his NFL comeback in 2018, playing one season with the Los Angeles Rams before retiring.
Latest Packers News
The Packers were inactive at the NFL trade deadline, angering some fans of the team, but there has still been plenty of news this week surrounding the franchise.
Instead of making any splash trades, the Packers hosted a handful of workouts on deadline day, including one for the intriguing 6’7″ pass rusher Charles Snowden, who had previously played for the Chicago Bears. The team also worked out a pair of undrafted defensive linemen, although no news has come out about any of the players who worked out being signed to the practice squad or active roster.
Off of the field, the Packers announced that they were be honoring two of their former players. The team announced that wide receiver Jordy Nelson and offensive lineman Josh Sitton would be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame prior to the start of the 2023 season. Both players played pivotal roles in the early stages of Rodgers’ career, and helped lead the team to their Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.